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Originally Posted by BrianBSL
Where do you see anything that says that Apple will be releasing OSX to run on any PC? Yes, they are switching to Intel hardware, but as of right now, it will only run on Apple's hardware. Apple makes a lot more off of hardware then they do off selling OSX. The developer copies that have been out there will not run on any standard PC without modification, and even then theres a lack of driver support for PC hardware running on. I have no problem with OSX as an operating system - I own a powerbook that runs it, but as of right now, when it launches for Intel (still months to the first ones, and a year or two until it is completely Intel), it will be for Apple computers. You won't be able to buy a Dell or a Lenovo (IBM) with OSX pre-installed, and it isn't likely you will be able to go buy it off the shelf either.
Microsoft doesn't make its big money off people buying Windows XP at CompUSA and BestBuy - they make it from OEM's who bundle it with their PC's (although the revenue per unit is higher on retail copies, OEM's buy thousands of copies, don't require anything other than the sticker and sometimes a CD, and require no low level support (they handle it themselves)). Although the Corporate market usually sticks with the previous OS for a year or so, OEM's often switch to the new OS as soon as it is out. As soon as Vista comes out, all the big OEM's will be pushing it on all of their home PC's. For the corporate market, they will have to offer XP for a while (although many in the corporate market purchase their own Microsoft select licenses and use their own vlk, and could care less what OEM license it comes with), just as they did with Windows 2000.
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Yes you are correct Mac OS X will never be available for anything else but an Apple computer. Apple likes to keep control of their hardware and software. It makes their support a lot easier to control. One thing they might do is license their computers to a PC company (like the HP iPod), but I don't see that happening in near future.
I have seen screenshots and movies of Longhorn, and to tell you the truth I am not that impressed with it. Granted I have not personally tested it, but it just seems like Windows XP with a new UI. All of its features have been either reduced or eliminated (ex. WinFS, Alvilion).
One feature that will be big in Vista will be "trusted computing" which is the highly controversial Palladium that was introduced about 5 years ago. I am curious to see if it does prevent virus and other types of security risk, or it will just be another annoyance for consumers.
Another thing I am curious is how the minimum specs for Vista will affect its sales. I remember an article a while back that talked about Longhorns minimum specifications. They were very high, and called for something like a dual core processor, 200gb of hard disk, and a video card that is 3X more powerful then what is available today. That will render almost any computer bought today obsolete by the time it comes.
It will be an exciting time to see what the computer industry produces in the next year. Around the same time that Vista appears, it will compete with Leopard (OS X 10.5), which its features hasn’t even been announced yet. Linux is also expected to make good inroad to the PC market.